May 30, 2005

In 2003, Robert "Bob" L. Dilenschneider, a global public relations advisor, confided to me that he was working on a book about heroes. Dumb idea, I thought.

See, I figured that we were tired of the hero theme post-9/11 and when the book "A Time For Heroes" was actually published, the economy would be back and our focus would be back on success, American Style.

May 29, 2005

It's already five years into the 21st century and public speakers are finally breaking away from the platitudes of the 20th century. Think fleeing the grip of positive thinking, personal/organizational/national empowerment, unbounded optimism, feelings as sacred.

No-nonsense mental health pro Paul Pearsall has been giving this a nudge.

One thing I'm going to push in the blogging workshops I'm conducting at the West Hartford, CT library in June and the CT Press Club in July is this:

Blogging is addictive. Since it's only one among many marketing tools, if you don't use it in combination with other tools, you'll morph into professional blogger, not a smart, successful business person. Resist what I call the"Rather Be Blogging" Syndrome.

Sydney Finkelstein is part of the growing industry explaining why so many of smart professionals fail. The causes range from relying on success formulas of the past to hubris. But, as Geraldine Fabrikant observes in the business section of today'sTHE NEW YORK TIMES, recycling ourselves isn't that easy. Steve Jobs and Donald Trump may make coming back appear otherwise.

May 28, 2005

For about 20 years, people "had problems." Now, we're back to calling underachievers, screw-ups, has-beens, and any other deviation from America's high standard of success "losers."

I heard the term this evening in my complex. It sounded so harsh. And final. People with problems could be cured, right. Losers are without hope. When I was young, my mother warned me about "losers" I was dating and to run for my life. She didn't suggest they get therapy.

Do all those successes out there have a linear career, that is, a no-bad-job resume? Or do they just keep those detours as security guards, telemarketers, cab drivers, circus clowns under wraps?

I'm wondering this because I suspect that I just lost out on an assignment with a Fortune 100 company because at lunch it came out (I'll fill you later about how) that I had been ready to apply to Barnum's Clown College.

No, no, no, I told my client about her client. He's never going to get away with that self-involved book. It's pure self-absorption, classic narcissism. Narcissism including narcissistic leaders has been outed.

Nobody can get away with it any more, even if it's a result of deep emotional wounds (think Jane Fonda's low self-esteem and Jane Pauley's saga of her bipolar condition).